Donald Trump to return to CPAC

Donald Trump will address CPAC at next week’s conference, the American Conservative Union, which sponsors the event, announced Tuesday.

“Donald Trump is an American patriot and success story with a massive following among small government conservatives,” said Al Cardenas, the chairman of the ACU, in a statement. “I look forward to welcoming him back to the CPAC stage next week. Mr. Trump’s previous CPAC appearance was hugely popular among our attendees and we expect it will even more popular this year.”

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CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, is an annual meeting featuring a who’s-who in conservative politics. This year, it will take place March 14-16 in National Harbor, Md., just outside Washington, D.C. While Trump got an invite, other Republican household names — like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — didn’t make the cut.

A Washington Post report also said Tuesday that Virgina Gov. Bob McDonnell, who was mentioned as a possible 2012 vice presidential pick but has recently come under fire from some in his party, was also not invited. Both Christie and McDonnell are considered possible 2016 presidential candidates.